Auto components maker producing face shields for adults, children

29th May 2020

By: Irma Venter

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

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Rosslyn Automotive Supplier Park (ASP) tenant PolyGen has joined a group of factories in the automotive sector that are modifying their production lines to manufacture goods that will assist in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company previously produced plastic parts for automotive components.

PolyGen co-owner and GM Wilhelm Roets says the company made the change when the initial Level 5 lockdown was announced, after seeing what other countries were doing to counter the pandemic.

A partner company to PolyGen, which specialises in product design and engineering, initially approached the University of Pretoria (UP) with a design for a continuous positive airway pressure machine.

UP pointed out that its most pressing requirement was for personal protective equipment for its frontline staff, specifically face shields.

Hitherto

, these were being three-dimensionally printed, but, with the quantities required, an industrialised solution was required.

“We then reacted immediately and collaborated with the university to design an injection-mouldable face shield to their requirements –one that could be used by medical professionals,” says Roets.

PolyGen had to make a few changes to accommodate the production of the face shield.

The company already had the injection moulding machines in place and enough space to assemble and warehouse the product.

Tooling for the new product took about three weeks and, importantly for the team, PolyGen was able to bring much of its staff back to work.

However, the production of the face shield is not without its challenges.

“The biggest challenge was setting up the supply chain in a lockdown business environment,” notes Roets.

“Finding what seemed to be simple supplies became a difficult task, especially in the beginning.

“Securing raw material in a very dynamic market and maintaining cash flow also became a challenge.”

The response to the product has been positive and the face shields are now in high demand, says Roets.

PolyGen initially produced stock almost exclusively for medical practitioners.

However, the company is now moving its focus towards industries that are ramping up to open their doors once Level 5 lockdown is over.

PolyGen is receiving enquiries from all over the country and from various industry players, including farmers, car service centres and pharmacies, says Roets.

The company has also designed a new version of its face shield for small children, with PolyGen working with selected schools to develop a product that could be used is the classroom environment.

Roets says he hopes to have the product available when schools start to reopen.

The PolyGen face shield also comes with the option to buy a replacement shield if the original is scratched or damaged.

The headpiece is of such quality that it can be reused, Roets adds.

PolyGen currently has the capacity to produce 4 000 units a day, with a second set of tooling ready to double the capacity if demand increases to such a level.

The medical practitioner version sells for about R35, the standard version for about R25 and the children’s version for about R12.

Lance Schultz, CEO of the Automotive Industry Development Centre, which oversees the ASP, says PolyGen’s innovation “is a clear indication that the automotive industry is ready to participate in the manufacturing of personal protective equipment”.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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